In New York, a Library for Your Subway Ride

By John Maher
|

Jun 13, 2017

New York's three major public library systems—The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library—have teamed up with the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Transit Wireless to launch Subway Library, which offers free e-book downloads in subway stations.

The six-week promotion, according to a press release issued by the New York Public Library, offers free-ebooks, e-shorts, and excerpts from full-length books. The excerpts are meant to be read on New Yorkers' commutes. All content can be downloaded at subway stations, where riders can connect to the Subway Library website by using Transit Wireless WiFi, a city-wide system launched in 2011, and completed last year, providing all subway stations in the city with wireless internet and cell service. The Subway Library site was developed by the NYPL, and is similar to its SimplyE free e-book reader app.

“The New York Public Library’s mission is to make information and knowledge accessible to all, and this exciting partnership with the MTA is certainly right on track,” NYPL president Tony Marx said in a statement. “By making thousands of free stories easily available to subway straphangers, we are encouraging reading, learning, and curiosity."

Along with the promotion, a Library Train—a subway car featuring an interior that evokes the Rose Main Reading Room inside the 42nd Street branch of the NYPL—will alternate running along the 6th and 8th Avenue corridor lines of the E and F trains. A social media competition, in which riders can share photos of themselves by Subway Library posters or within the Subway Library train—offers six possible prizes, including three Amazon Kindle Voyages.

E-books and short stories offered come from the New York Public Library's permanent collection, while excerpts have been made available by publishers including Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Plympton, and Simon & Schuster. Authors whose works are available through the project include Zadie Smith, Mohsin Hamid, Karen Russel, David Foster Wallace, Angie Thomas, and Lemony Snicket.

"It’s a great way to celebrate the introduction of cell service and free Wi-Fi to all underground stations, and highlight the ongoing modernization of New York’s transportation system,” MTA interim executive director Ronnie Hakim said in a statement. “It’s also a great reminder of the natural partnership between public transportation and books—reading has always been a central part of the New York commute."

PW “All Access” site license members have access to PW’s subscriber-only website content. Simply close and relaunch your preferred browser to log-in. To find out more about PW’s site license subscription options please email: pw@pubservice.com.

If you have questions or need assistance setting up your account please email pw@pubservice.com or call 1-800-278-2991 (U.S.) or 1-818-487-2069 (all other countries), Monday-Friday between 5am and 5pm Pacific time for assistance.

Thank you for visiting Publishers Weekly. There are 3 possible reasons you were unable to login and get access our premium online pages.

You are NOT a current subscriber to Publishers Weekly magazine. To get immediate access to all of our Premium Digital Content try a monthly subscription for as little as $18.95 per month. You may cancel at any time with no questions asked. Click here for details about Publishers Weekly’s monthly subscription plans.

You are a subscriber but you have not yet set up your account for premium online access.Add your preferred email address and password to your account.

You forgot your password and you need to retrieve it. Click here to access the password we have on file for you.